Masterbuilt Gravity Series Buyer's Guide: 600 vs 1150

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series is the only BBQ on the market that combines genuine charcoal flavour with the set-and-forget convenience of a digital controller. You load real charcoal into the hopper, set your temperature on the digital panel, and the gravity-fed system manages the fire automatically. No pellets, no gas, no babysitting the vents.

We stock both the Gravity Series 600 and Gravity Series 1150 at BBQ Republic. If you have been sitting between a pellet smoker and a charcoal grill and cannot decide, the Gravity Series is worth understanding before you commit to either. This guide covers how it works, what makes it different, and which model suits which buyer.

How the Gravity Series Works

The Gravity Series uses a gravity-fed charcoal hopper mounted on the side of the grill. You load the hopper with lump charcoal or briquettes, light a small amount of starter charcoal at the bottom of the firebox, and set your target temperature on the digital control panel. A fan-driven system automatically regulates airflow to the firebox, controlling how much charcoal burns and holding the grill at your target temperature.

As charcoal burns at the bottom of the hopper, gravity feeds more charcoal down from above. This is why the system is called gravity-fed: the charcoal supply is continuous and self-managing. You do not need to open the lid or add more charcoal during a cook. A full hopper on the 1150 holds enough charcoal for approximately 10 to 12 hours of cooking.

The temperature range runs from 107 degrees Celsius for low and slow smoking all the way to 370 degrees Celsius for direct searing. That full range on a single charcoal grill with digital control is what makes the Gravity Series genuinely different to everything else in the category.

Why It Is Different to Every Other BBQ

There are three types of serious outdoor cookers: gas grills, pellet smokers, and charcoal grills. Each has a defining trade-off.

Gas grills are convenient but produce no smoke flavour. Pellet smokers produce good smoke flavour with digital convenience but use compressed wood pellets rather than charcoal. Charcoal grills produce the best flavour but require manual fire management and vent control that takes practice to master.

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series sits outside all three categories. It uses real lump charcoal or briquettes, so the flavour profile is genuine charcoal smoke. But the digital controller and gravity-fed system mean fire management is automatic. You get the flavour of a charcoal grill with the convenience of a pellet smoker. For buyers who have always wanted to cook on charcoal but found the fire management intimidating, the Gravity Series removes that barrier entirely.

The 370 degree Celsius maximum temperature also gives you genuine high-heat searing capability that most pellet smokers cannot match. You can smoke a brisket at 110 degrees and sear a steak at 370 degrees on the same grill in the same cook session.

Gravity Series 600: $1,599

742 square inches of total cooking space across a primary cooking surface and upper warming rack. The 600 is the more compact of the two models and the right starting point for buyers cooking for families or small groups. It handles a full brisket flat, a pork shoulder, multiple racks of ribs, or a combination of protein and sides simultaneously on the primary and warming surfaces.

The 600 folds flat for storage and has a relatively compact footprint compared to the 1150, which matters for buyers with limited patio or deck space. The same digital controller, the same temperature range, the same gravity-fed charcoal system, and the same charcoal flavour results as the larger model.

If you are new to charcoal cooking and want to start with the Gravity Series, or if you regularly cook for a group of four to six people, the 600 is the right model.

Gravity Series 1150: $2,099

1,148 square inches of total cooking space across a larger primary cooking surface and warming rack. The 1150 suits buyers who regularly cook for large groups, want to run multiple full-size cuts simultaneously, or want the most capable version of the Gravity Series technology.

The larger hopper on the 1150 holds more charcoal, extending cook duration before any reloading is needed. For a full overnight brisket cook or a long competition-style session, the 1150 is the right specification. The additional cooking area also gives you significantly more flexibility to run different temperature zones across the primary surface.

If you cook for groups of eight or more regularly, do competition cooking, or simply want the most capable Gravity Series configuration available, the 1150 is the one to buy.

600 vs 1150: Which Should You Buy?

Buy the 600 if you are cooking for a family or small group and want to enter charcoal cooking with a manageable setup. At $1,599 it is the most accessible entry point to the Gravity Series and covers the majority of home cooking situations without the larger footprint of the 1150.

Buy the 1150 if you regularly cook for large groups, do long overnight cooks, or want the maximum cooking area the Gravity Series offers. At $2,099 the additional cooking space and hopper capacity are worth the premium for serious cooks who will use both.

What Charcoal to Use in the Gravity Series

The Gravity Series is compatible with both lump charcoal and briquettes. Lump charcoal lights faster, burns hotter, and produces less ash. Briquettes burn longer and more consistently at lower temperatures, which makes them better suited for long low-and-slow cooks where you want to minimise hopper reloads.

We stock Masterbuilt Lumpwood Charcoal ($49.95) specifically sized and shaped for optimal performance in the gravity-fed hopper. Using correctly sized charcoal matters in a gravity-fed system: charcoal that is too large can bridge in the hopper and interrupt the gravity feed, while charcoal that is too fine can clog the grate. Masterbuilt's own charcoal is the safest choice for consistent results.

Covers and Accessories

Both models are designed for outdoor use but benefit from a cover if left outside permanently. We stock covers for both the 600 and 1150.

See Both Models in Our Wetherill Park Showroom

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